The core clears 10 degrees during full darkness on most nights from February to October. In January, November and December it's out of reach, either too close to the Sun or too low in the dark.
Core score by month
| Month | Core score | Best week | Moon-free core hours a night | Average cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | Core not visible | 0 | 52% |
| February | 6 | February 10 to 16 | 0.5 | 53% |
| March | 20 | March 10 to 16 | 1.7 | 52% |
| April | 36 | April 6 to 12 | 2.7 | 48% |
| May | 58 | May 3 to 9 | 3.8 | 39% |
| June | 77 | June 1 to 7 | 5.1 | 23% |
| July | 75 | July 1 to 7 | 4.8 | 25% |
| August | 61 | August 1 to 7 | 3.1 | 20% |
| September | 28 | September 21 to 27 | 1.4 | 23% |
| October | 7 | October 1 to 7 | 0.4 | 31% |
| November | 0 | Core not visible | 0 | 41% |
| December | 0 | Core not visible | 0 | 53% |
Times are for the best seven nights in each month. Moon-free means the moon is below the horizon. The core counts as visible above 10 degrees in full darkness, when the Sun is more than 18 degrees below the horizon.
The best nights in 2027
- June: June 4 is the best night. The core is above 10 degrees and the moon is down from 10:34 pm to 3:44 am, with the moon 0% lit that night.
- July: July 1 is the best night. The core is above 10 degrees and the moon is down from 10:14 pm to 3:14 am, with the moon 5% lit that night.
- August: August 1 is the best night. The core is above 10 degrees and the moon is down from 9:44 pm to 1:04 am, with the moon 0% lit that night.
Clock times are Pacific time with daylight saving applied. The best nights fall around the new moon, so the dates shift by about 11 days each year.
About Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Sequoia and Kings Canyon are two parks run as one in California's southern Sierra Nevada. They're home to the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree on earth by volume, and Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48 at 14,505 feet. Kings Canyon is one of the deepest canyons in the country.
Sequoia was created in 1890, the second national park after Yellowstone. General Grant National Park was created the same year, and in 1940 it became the heart of the new Kings Canyon National Park. The two parks have been managed together since 1943.
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks are two national parks in California. The National Park Service places its center at 36.71 degrees north and 118.59 degrees west, and the sky calculations on this page use that point. Visitor information, fees and alerts are on the park's own page. National Park Service (opens in a new tab).
How Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks compares
Its best monthly core score of 77 ranks 7 of 54 national park units that can see the core. The highest is Lassen Volcanic National Park at 86, and the lowest is Voyageurs National Park at 13. Cloud at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks runs from 20% in August to 53% in February.
The score ranks months and parks. It isn't a forecast for any night, and it leaves out local weather, smoke and light from nearby towns. How the core score works.
How dark is the sky?
The Park Service models how much artificial light brightens the sky across the lower 48. At the point used for Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, it puts the added glow at about 23% of the natural brightness of a moonless sky (a ratio of 0.226). That makes it 22nd darkest of the 47 parks it covers. Lower is darker. This is a model, not a reading taken at the park, and it describes one point, so the edges of a large park can differ.
Questions people ask
When is the best time to see the Milky Way at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks?
June, July and August are the best months. The best week of 2027 is June 1 to 7.
Can you see the Milky Way at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks all year?
The core clears 10 degrees during full darkness on most nights from February to October. In January, November and December it's out of reach, either too close to the Sun or too low in the dark.
How dark is the sky at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks?
The Park Service models how much artificial light brightens the sky across the lower 48. At the point used for Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, it puts the added glow at about 23% of the natural brightness of a moonless sky (a ratio of 0.226). That makes it 22nd darkest of the 47 parks it covers. Lower is darker. This is a model, not a reading taken at the park, and it describes one point, so the edges of a large park can differ.
Does the moon matter at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks?
Yes. A bright moon hides the Milky Way. The best night in June is June 4, when the moon is 0% lit and the core is above 10 degrees from 10:34 pm to 3:44 am.
